Better Than the Rest
by StreakingHerculobus
Summary: Anakin and Ahsoka find themselves in a tentative alliance with Grievous. They hope to bring an end to the Clone Wars, but at what personal price? The dark side encroaches upon the estranged Jedi. Needless to say the Council does not look favorably upon such unorthodox tactics.


~1~

Breathe in, breathe out. A uphill exercise in order to calm the anger simmering below the surface. Lately his rage threatened to spill forth constantly. He found himself blowing up at the smallest of things. It was unnatural.

And the source of his frustrations today had also received the brunt of his ire for the past two weeks.

Speaking of whom she walked in the door, unaware of the building tempest inside Skywalker's mind. He had to admit she was easy on the eyes. Not many masters had the privilege of teaching a padawan so attractive of the opposite sex. A togruta she possessed an innate gracefulness that humans lacked and it was reflected in her every step.

Yet it was the fact that she was a young woman now and very appealing that Anakin was hard on her.

"I can sense your attachment."

_Breath in, breath out. Breath in, breath out._Ahsoka couldn't believe they were having this conversation. She came in here to spend some quality time with her master, to enjoy his company, but of course he had other plans which consisted of haranguing her. "What makes you say that?"

Anakin uncurled his fingers, breaking off his meditation. He raised his eyes to meet the back of her head. She wasn't ready to face him yet. "Don't try to hide your feelings from me. They will only lead to conflict."

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow. "You speak from experience," she guessed tentatively. She didn't turn from admiring the grip of her lightsaber, though she had ingrained it in her memory a long time ago.

It was Anakin's turn to be intrigued. How did she know? "But yes, of course you have been with me long enough to notice my care for the Senator. It's not exactly a secret among my close friends."

Ahsoka drew around in concealed astonishment. Was he going to open up to her?

"Take it from me, Snips. Do not let yourself become involved with him. Relationships are hard enough in general, but for a Jedi, they are emotional suicide." He glanced away and stared off in a seeming distance. "Sometimes I regret that I ever saw Padme."

Did he just admit to having a relationship with Senator Amidala? A past affair, Ahsoka could understand. But the question was if it was ongoing. She was too afraid to ask.

Anakin intended to cover up his partial admission of guilt. "We ended things a while back, just in case you're wondering," he smirked. "I have a duty to the Jedi and she has a duty to her people. They are incongruent."

Ahsoka didn't know what to say. Yes, her master was prone to breaking the rules but he violated the greatest of them all! Though from what it sounded like, he had paid the penalty. His testimony provided a good argument for why exactly the Jedi are forbidden from forming attachments.

"You're the only person I've ever told, Snips. Not even Obi-Wan knows."

She nodded in understanding. "I'll keep your secrets, Master. I promise." It was the least she could do. So many times she found herself almost pitying him, especially after a particular dialogue with Kenobi.

_"__You have to remember that Anakin didn't grow up in the Jedi temple. He wasn't as well indoctrinated and conditioned as other younglings such as yourself. Yet because he might be the Chosen One, the Council showed leniency. I've done my best to show him the right path and to raise him in the Jedi fashion, but you've seen for yourself that he has an independent streak. It can be both an asset and a weakness. It is your job to recognize each for what it is and take the appropriate action. I have faith in you Ahsoka."_

Obi-Wan placed an enormous responsibility on her shoulders. Over time she discovered that what he was really asking her was to keep Anakin away from the dark side. There had been a few close calls, but thus far everything was going okay. If they could only get past what was irritating her master currently.

~2~

Fight back the fear.

Anakin didn't fear the droids. Or Grievous. Or the Council. He feared his own inadequacy. He hadn't been there for his mom. He might not be there for Padme. It was only a matter of time before he failed Ahsoka. So he pushed her away. She would have to learn how not to depend on him.

But that was kind of hard on the battlefield when you relied on the other person to cover your back. Master and Padawan slunk through the waves of droids in a slow circle deflecting blaster fire. What had they been thinking when they opted to drop down behind enemy lines with nothing but their lightsabers and guts?

Once again Mandalore was on the brink of collapse. They had broken through the Separatist blockade and dropped onto the surface in order to siege the capital where intelligence suggested Count Dooku awaited. Though the invasion was risky, the Council deemed the opportunity to end the war worth the very possible failure.

He was having fun destroying the metal heads nonetheless. Ahsoka, not so much. He could sense her dire concentration. Hundreds of the enemy surrounded them. She was being pushed too hard. Out here the first slip in focus is your death sentence. He wasn't about to wait for that to happen to his charge. They needed to get somewhere fast. So summoning as much of the force as possible he sent out an invisible wall and cleared the closest wave of droids. She got the hint and took off. He trailed her.

Soon they were boxed in again. He had radio'd for backup not two minutes ago, but still no gunship in sight. Then his fears came into fruition when an enemy airstrike appeared on the horizon. They intended to blow him and Ahsoka up along with the droids.

He moved to warn her, but it was too late. The missile touched down and the ground imploded, knocking them both senseless if not gravely injured.

~3~

Sometimes Anakin wondered if they were fighting a hopeless war. They were just so many of them. The Council estimated ten droids to every clone and four confederation ships to every republic cruiser. The reality of the situation always dawned on him at times like these, when captured by the enemy. Luckily he wasn't seriously hurt and neither was his padawan, thank the force.

But he worried about what the Separatists had in mind for them.

"Master," she began groggily. "Where are we?" She looked beat up. A large cut went across her forehead, and the rest of her was faring no better.

He seemed fine, but Anakin knew that was not a good indicator. There were sure to be repercussions of enduring a blast in which they should have died. "Don't know, Snips."

They were both kneeling inside a containment field, the only thing people could trust to hold Jedi. Not every ship carried these, since they required their own generator, which gave a clue about the significance of their captor. Was Obi-Wan looking for them? Or could the 501st still be locked in the heat of battle?

"We're going to get out of this, I promise," Anakin assured Ahsoka. She smiled weakly. The magnetic field was certainly taxing to the body in addition to the emotional stress caused by their severance from the force.

She opened her mouth to say something when the door swished open to reveal the second worst person possible (in Anakin's opinion next to Dooku).

"Grievous," Anakin grit.

"Skywalker. I'm glad we meet again." He paced around the room, admiring his catch. "You will be an excellent bargaining chip for General Kenobi."

"You won't get away with this."

"The child on the other hand, I don't know why I kept her alive. Her lightsaber would be an excellent addition to my collection. Although," he trailed off, "I seem to have a disproportionate amount of green ones." He spun to Ahsoka and grabbed her chin. "You must be of the weaker stock."

"Leave her out of this." Anakin strained against his bonds, a useless gesture. Ahsoka appeared defiant, but he could tell Grievous' words affected her. "She's just a padawan, insignificant in the grand scheme."

"I care not for the grand scheme!" Grievous shook his mechanical fists at the air in incredulity. "You Jedi are all the same. Always assuming things, the world so black and white. Do you think I chose this life?"

Anakin didn't know what to think about Grievous' unexpected outburst. There was obviously something else on his mind. Ahsoka on the other hand was struggling to come to terms with what Anakin had said. She knew he was just trying to protect her, but what if there was a hint of his honest opinion?

"I am a warrior, not some political schemist. That is Dooku's area of expertise. I only care for battle. And duels. And proving my strength. It's all I used to live for. But the rest of the galaxy has taken that away from me. Gunray thinks he's clever. And so does the Republic. But I am a survivor." He glanced towards the two Jedi. "Which is why I have been waiting for this opportunity."

He stormed out of the room, leaving a flabbergasted Jedi Knight and equally stunned behind. "What are you going to do?" Anakin shouted. They felt the lurch of the ship into hyperspace.


End file.
